Receptacle covers



y 1959 1.. EISENMAN 2,888,163

RECEFTACLE COVERS Filed Dec. 17, 1957 FIG.- 3 FIG. 4

8- INVENTOR. LOUIS EISENMAN United States Patent f RECEPTACLE COVERS Louis Eisenman, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Application December 17, 1957, Serial No. 703,457

Claims. (Cl. 22038) This invention relates to improvements in receptacle covers and more particularly to an improved lift and swing-type connection between the garbage can cover and the can body which can be broken at will, thereby to render the cover completely separable from its can body.

As explained at length in my prior application Serial No. 638,585, now Patent No. 2,846,112, filed February 6, 1957, sanitary regulations in some communities in effect prohibit use of garbage cans employing the popular lift and swing type cover because such is permanently connected to its can body, in that they specify that the cover be completely separable from the can body by the garbage collector, thus to insure full dumping and to facilitate inspection and ventilation of both can and cover. While the separable cover connection of my aforesaid application was designed to provide a cover-to-can body connection satisfying sanitary regulations as aforesaid, and at the same time to meet the needs of the housewife or other person called upon to deposit household garbage can become frozen in either one of the active or inactive positions, thus making the cover connecting and disconnecting operations diflicult to perform. Also, because the cross pins are relatively unprotected when pulled out to their inactive position, they may become bent if accidentally struck during pail handling and, when such occurs, the pins are difficult to operate as intended.

Stated broadly, an important object of the invention is the provision of a cover-to-can body connecting means which, while retaining all the advantages of the cover connecting means disclosed and claimed in my aforesaid application Serial No. 638,585, overcomes the disadvantage thereof through the provision of a novel construction and mounting of the slot-closing pins which facilitates their operation under all conditions of use and which further effectively protects the pins from being accidentally bent and damaged in normal can use.

More particularly, an object of the invention is the provision of a lift and swing-type cover connection for garbage cans and like receptacles of a form also permitting the cover to be completely separated from its associated can body as desired, through the use of slotend closing pins generally as disclosed and claimed in my prior application aforesaid, but more especially characterized in that said pins are mounted for simple rotary or rocking movement in their associated connecting brackets, as distinguished from axial movement as with my prior connecting means, and are moreover well protected by the brackets in which they are mounted, as contrasted to the substantial lack of protection which the brackets aiford the crosspins when the latter are pulled out to break the connection, as in the application construction.

2,888,163 Patented May 26, 1959 Yet another object of the invention is the provision of an improved lift and swing-type can cover connection permitting complete separation of cover from can as aforesaid, and which is further characterized by an improved and simplified construction of the bracket components of the connection. p

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a lift and swing type connection of cover-to-can body, a novel connection between the upper ends of the swing arms and the cover which enables the swing arms to freely adjust themselves to the inclination dictated by the taper of the can body, thereby eliminating the possibility of the lower in-bent or hinge-pin ends of said arms bindings in their brackets consequent to said arms being contrained against inclination-adjusting movement by a rigid connection of the swing arms to cover, asheretofore.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof, in which reference is had to the accompanying illustrative drawing, wherein: v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a closed garbage can or similar receptacle having its cover connected by a lift and swing-type connection as herein proposed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the can turned from its Fig. 1 position and showing in broken and full lines, respectively, the cover in its lift and swing-open positions;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the attaching brackets in and by which the cover connecting swing rods or arms are connected at their lower ends to the can body, the illustrated arm being shown in its full raised position in the bracket to which it has moved from its normal lowered or cover-closed position indicated by broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a rear or inside elevation of the bracketand associated parts shown in Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, but showing the slot-closing cross member turned to its inactive position and the cover swing-arm fully separated from its bracket;

Figs. 7 and 8 are transverse sections taken through the bracket on lines 7-7 and 88 of Fig. 5 to illustrate the fabrication thereof from sheet metal;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of the top-end connection of swing arm to cover employed in' the Figs.. 1 and 2 construction; and

Fig. 10 illustrates a modified form of top-end swing arm connection to the cover.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference numeral 10 designates a more or less conventional open-top garbage can or similar receptacle which is closeable by a swing-type cover 12 having a circumferential flange 14 adapted to telescope onto the open-top edge of the can. Accordingly, in addition to providing for its swinging movement, the cover-to-can connection is also required to provide for limited lifting of the cover preliminary to swinging it to its open position, and, conversely, for lowering movement of the cover necessary to lower it on to the can top following its being swung from full open to a slightly elevated position with respect to the can.

Such a connection generally comprises a pairof swing arms 16a, 16b which are aflixed at their upper ends to diametrical points to the cover 12 so as to extend downwardly therefrom and terminate at their lower ends in right-angular in-bent ofisets 18 serving as hinge pins between said arms and attachingbrackets 20a, 20b which secure the arms to the can or pail body. As best seen in Figs. 3 and 5, said brackets are relatively elongated and they are secured so as to extend vertically to opposite points on the external surface ofthe can body and at a level thereof, taking into. account the channel. insimpl'e yet effective manner to prevent unintentional vertical dimension of the brackets, that provides for the straight lift and lowering motion required of the cover, as well as an axis of cover swing as enables the cover to swing freely toward and away from its can-top closing position.

The aforesaid attaching brackets 20a, 201) are of identical construction, being generally channel-shaped in section (Figs. 7 and 8), and each is disposed with its main channel A opening inwardly or towards the can body, and is moreover provided with wide attaching wings or flanges 22a, 22b extending laterally from the side walls defining the channel and which accommodate rivets 24 or other appropriate securing means for securing the brackets flush against the outer side of the can body. As also seen in Figs. 7 and 8, the bottom or cross wall 26 defining the aforesaid channel A is of double-wall construction composed of outer and inner sections 26a, 26b which are spaced a small distance from one another, which distance corresponds substantially to the axial thickness of an enlarged button or disc-form bearing hub 2% affixed to an arm offset 18 outwardly of its inner end, the hub having diameter corresponding substantially to the width of the space so as to be freely slidable therealong.

Preferably also, the outer wall section 26a is formed with an outwardly convex U-bend portion defining an elongated sleeve B, and which is dimensioned and offset forwardly from the main channel A and the aforesaid space between the wall section so as to receive the lower end of a swing arm 16a or 16b, said sleeve forma tion preventing any angular movement of said arm until the latter has been pumosely lifted in vertical direction an amount at least equal to the amount that the cover 12 telescopes on to the can body 10. Inasmuch as the latter amount is less than the vertical height of a bracket 2011 or 2011 and hence of the space between the bottom wall sections 26a, 26b, the U- bent wall defining the sleeve B terminates Well below the top edge of the bracket, thereby to permit the associated arm to swing with respect to the bracket while being connected thereto, as will be described. The aforesaid inner section 26b of the channel cross wall 26 is also formed with a U-bend portion defining an elongated sleeve C, but it will be observed that the sleeve C is convex inwardly and extends laterally into the main channel A 'of the bracket. However, since both the sleeves B and C open into the aforesaid space between the wall sections 26a, 26b, said sleeves are in lateral communica tion with one another and it follows that the sleeve C provides for the reception of the laterally offset hingepin end 18 of the associated swing arm 16a or 15b.

With the construction so far described it will be understood that the offset ends 18 of the swing arms 16a, 16b and the sleeved construction of the brackets a, 20b together form the components of a hinge-pin and sleeve form of connection enabling and in fact requiring that the can cover, when in the closed position, be lifted vertically from the can body prior to being swung to its full open position, and also that said cover be telescoped vertically onto the can top in its final closing movement. With nothing more, the offset hinge pins 18 of the swing arms could of course be withdrawn in upward direction from the brackets and, to prevent same through closing of the upper end of the bracket sleeve C, the invention provided a cross member generally designated 30 journaled in and extending between the side walls of the main channel A and passing also through the convex wall of the aforesaid inner sleeve formation C. This cross member 30 preferably consists of a rigid pin or rod located near the top of its associated bracket 20a, 20b and its position is such that it extends across the path of upward movement of the hinge pin as the latter approaches the upper open end of the bracket Accordingly, the cross members 34) function withdrawal of the swing arms from their brackets, while at the same time the positioning of said cross members is such as to permit the swing arms to swing with respect to the bracket when they have been raised suffi ciently to impart limited vertical lift to the cover as is required to enable the cover to swing away from the can body.

However, as explained in the foregoing, the sanitary or garbage collection regulations of some communities require that the covers of garbage cans be completely separable from the can body, thus to insure full dumping and to facilitate inspection, ventilation, etc. To satisfy this requirement while at the same time retaining the known advantages of the lift and swing-type of cover-to-can connection as detailed in the foregoing, the invention provides that the cross members 30 be so constructed and mounted that they can be rendered ineffective to secure the swing rods 16a, 16b to their attaching brackets as aforesaid. For this purpose, and referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 6, the cross members, rather than extending straightway, are each formed, in the length portion thereof that extends between the bracket-channel side walls, with a U-bend portion 32 functioning as a swinging crank or eccentric, and which is movable to one of two end positions, depending on the direction in which it is swung. In one end position (Figs. 3 and 4) said crank portion 32 extends into the sleeve formation C through an opening 34- therefor cut through the sleeve wall, and hence it is disposed across the path through which the associated hinge pin 18 moves, thus to provide a top-end stop for said hinge pin. In its other end position (Figs. 5 and 6) the crank portion is still within the bracket channel but is disposed without the sleeve formation C, with the result that it can exercise no holding function whatsoever on the associated swing-arm hinge pin. Accordingly, when the cross members 30 are rotated to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the swing arms 16a, 16b may be raised completely from their attaching brackets, as effectively breaks the connection between cover and can body.

To facilitate rotary movement of the cross member 30, one end of said cross member is extended a substantial distance laterally of its bracket channel and is bent to form a preferably double-offset finger grip 38 which is readily accessible to the person, such as the garbage collector, desiring to disconnect the cover from the pail and/ or to reassemble said parts. Also to be noted is that the cross member offset or eccentric 32 and the offset finger grip are disposed to opposite sides of the cross member center line, whereby said offsets swing in different direction as respects the operator. This latter is a feature of advantage as it provides automatic indication to the operator of the position of the eccentric 32 within the sleeve C. It will also be understood that the other end of the cross member 30 which projects but slightly from the channel side wall in which it is journaled is thickened by peening, flattening or other kind of deforming as prevents said cross member from being axially withdrawn from its bracket member.

According to another feature of the invention, the attaching brackets 20a, 20b, rather than being formed as castings as are the corresponding attaching brackets of my prior application aforesaid, are instead fashioned complete from two sheets of sheet metal designated 20x, 20y (Figs. 7 and 8) which are individually blanked out and then bent to their respective channel formations in simple stamping operations, the resulting sheet-metal stampings being thereupon nested with one another and secured as by spot welding, bending of the marginal edges of one stamping over the corresponding edges of the other, or in various other ways known in the art of affixing two sheet metal stampings together. The fabrication of the brackets from two sheet metal pieces also simplifies the formation of the spaced bottom-wall and sleeve features o'f the brackets, as' well as insuringrugged, practically'unbreakable construction.

Yet another improvement feature of the invention resides in the connection of the. upper ends of the swing arms 16a, 16b to the cover 12. Formerly, the connection was made through the use of straps which rigidly secured the upper ends of said arms to the cylindrical flange 14'of the cover, and of course resulted in the arms depending rigidly and at right angles from the cover. However, many can bodies have an inclined or tapered body wall, to the inclination or taper of which the swing arms could not freely adjust as their lower ends moved up and down the length of the attaching bracket. To overcome this difliculty, the invention provides a pivotal connection between the top ends of the swing arms 16a, 16b and the straps which secure said ends to the covers, which enables the lower ends of said arms to swing toward and away from one another according to the taper of the can body. Referring to Fig. 9, this connection is provided by a simple headed screw and bolt assembly 40, the screw thereof serving as a pivot pin passing through a hole drilled in the top end of an arm and an aligned hole in the end of a connecting strip 42 whose body portion is adapted to be secured as by riveting flush to the top of the cover 12, rather than to its circumferential rim flange 14 as heretofore. A functionally similar form of connection is illustrated in Fig. 10, wherein the pivot is provided by integral tangs 44a, 44b formed on the outer end of the attaching strap 46, said tangs extending from the sides of an opening provided in the strap end to receive the top end of the swing arm and reaching towards one another so as effectively to form a pivot pin. In both of the aforesaid constructions the axis of the pivot extends generally on a tangent to the cover circle, as enables the lower ends of the swing arms to adjust to any taper of the can body.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from .the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A separable can cover-to-can body connection comprising, in combination, means providing a hinge pin and channeled-bracket form of connection between cover and .can body operative to permit lifting and swinging move- ;ments of the cover with respect to the can body includ- :ing hinge pins depending from the cover and extending iin'wardly towards the can body, vertically disposed chanmeled brackets affixed to the can body at opposite sides thereof, the channels of which are open at their upper ends, said hinge pins extending into said channels and being vertically movable therealong, and swing means journaled in the brackets and extending across the bracket channels adjacent their upper ends, said swing means being swingable from a normally active position in which they extend across the path of movement of the hinge pins, thereby to prevent upward movement thereof from their brackets, to an inactive position which they are disposed outside said path of hinge pin movement, thereby to permit upward movement of the hinge pins from said brackets.

2. A separable can cover-to-can body connection substantially as set forth in claim 1, wherein said swing means each comprises a cross pin journaled for rotation in the side walls of its bracket channel and having an eccentric portion which is swingable into and out of the path of upward movement of the associated hinge pin through the channel according to the active and inactive positions respectively of said swing means.

3. A separable can cover-to-can body connection substantially as set forth in claim 1, wherein said channels each has a longitudinal sleeve formation therein disposed inwardly of the bottom wall and which extends substanchannel.

tially the length of the-channel and defines the path-of movement of the hinge pin within the channel, and said swing means each comprises a cross pinjournaled'for rotation in the channel side-walls and having an eccentric portion which in the active position of the swing meansextends into the sleeve formation through an opening therein and in the inactive position of. said swing lower ends of said arms and the can body and being operative to permit lifting and swinging of the cover with respect to the can body, said connection comprising inbent ends on the lower ends of said arms functioning as hinge pins and a pair of elongated, vertically disposed attaching brackets having channel-section affixed to the can body with their channels opening inwardly towards said can body, the hinge-pin ends of the arms projecting into the channels through the bracket-provided bottom wall thereof and being vertically movable along said channels, and swing means journaled in the brackets and extending across the bracket-provided side walls of the channel adjacent their upper ends, said swing means I being swingable from a normally active position in which they are disposed in the path of movement of the hinge pins, thereby to prevent upward movement thereof from their brackets, to an inactive position in which they are disposed outside said path of hinge-pin movement, thereby to permit upward movement of the hinge pins from said brackets.

5. A separable can cover-to-can body connection substantially as set forth in claim 4, wherein said swing means each comprises a cross pin journaled for rotation in the side walls of its channel and having an eccentric portion which is swingable into and out of the path of upward movement of the associated hinge pin through the channel according to the active and inactive positions respectively of said swing arms.

6. A separable can cover-to-can body connection substantially as set forth in claim 4, wherein each channel bottom wall has communicating outwardly and inwardly convex formations extending therealong and which together define sleeve means for receiving both the lower portion and the inbent hinge pin end of an arm, and wherein said swing means each comprises a cross pin journaled for rotation in its channel side walls and having an eccentric portion which is swingable into and out of the sleeve means through an opening provided therefor in the inwardly convex formation according to the active and inactive positions respectively of said swing arms.

7. A separable can cover-to-can body connection substantially as set forth in claim 4, wherein the hinge-pin ends of the arms carry disc-like hubs, and wherein the bottom walls of the bracket channels are formed by inner and outer wall sections, spaced from one another a distance corresponding substantially to the axial thickness of said hubs.

8. A separable can cover-to-can body connection substantially as set forth in claim 7, wherein said brackets are fashioned from two sheet-metal components of U- section nested one within the other, the depth of the channel of the inner component being less than that of the other component, thereby to space the bottom wall sections as aforesaid.

9. In a swinging cover connection for cans, pails and like receptacles having tapered sides, a pair of swing arms extending between cover and pail, pivotal connections between the lower ends of the arms and opposite points on the can or pail body, and pivotal connections between the upper ends of the arms and opposite points on the cover which are vertically related to said firstnamed opposite points, said last-named pivotal connec- 7 a ti'ons being constructed and arranged so as to enable the and the upper end of the associated swing arms, the lower ends of said arms to swing toward and away from axis of said pivot means extending as a tangent to the one another according to the taper of the can or pail cover circle. body. 7

10. A swinging cover connection for cans, pails and 5 References Cited in the file of this patent like receptacles substantially as set forth in claim 9, UNITED STATES PATENTS wherein said last-named pivotal connections each comprises a pivot-mounting means secured to the cover proper 1,144,159 Truxall June 22, 1915 and pivot means operative between the mounting means 2,032,742 Eisenman Mar. 3, 1936 

